Top of Mind Thursday Memo Archive

Top of Mind Thursday March 19, 2020: Resourceful & Resilient

Top of Mind Thursday

A month ago today, I landed in Havana, Cuba on a humanitarian mission.

Leverage2Market LogoWe spent six days traveling around the island, learning about 500 years of history, understanding the hardships and turmoil Cubans have faced since the 1961 revolution, and meeting with religious groups to distribute much-needed medical supplies.

Cuba is an extremely poor country where shortages and rationing are part of daily life. Life under the Castros has been challenging for most ordinary Cubans–especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.

Yet, wherever we went, we found the people to be warm and friendly. They are used to extreme shortages of such important commodities as oil, and to water that must be boiled before being used. They need to machine their own parts to keep 70-year old classic American cars running. They stand in line every week to get food rations–and yet, none of this phases them. They remain both resilient and resourceful.

A month later, we are facing the worst global medical crisis in a century. Nearly 8 million people in the Bay Area are in a lockdown situation, and similar moves are being taken around the country and the world to combat the coronavirus.

There are stories of people going the extra mile to help those who are most vulnerable during this pandemic. But for every story of kindness and goodwill, we see examples of people unnecessarily hoarding toilet paper, food, and bottled water.

The people in Cuba would never hoard these items–because they couldn’t get a hold of enough of these things to hoard.

Here, in one of the richest countries on earth, we would do well to learn from those who have survived much worse situations–while remaining resourceful and resilient.

Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise – even in a crisis situation.


Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.

Marketing Above the Noise.

Download a FREE chapter now.

What are people saying?

Buy now.

 


Let us help your business rise to the top.

linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com

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Top of Mind Thursday March 12, 2020: When the Rubber Meets the Road

Top of Mind Thursday

The coronavirus health crisis has expanded dramatically over the last several days.

Leverage2Market LogoGatherings of more than 250 people are prohibited in many US cities. Travel between the US and Europe has been banned. The NCAA March Madness will be played before empty arenas, and the remainder of the NBA season has been suspended. Italy is under lockdown and Ireland has even canceled St. Patrick’s Day parades.

In this environment, there have been two extreme responses. One is to panic and buy every roll of toilet paper, case of bottled water, or package of spaghetti in sight. This opens the way for con artists to take advantage of a panicked public and charge exorbitant prices for hand sanitizer, or, worse yet, peddle fake cures.

The other extreme is to discount the situation as just a lot of hype–to blatantly ignore the warnings and directives of health departments and government agencies to cancel events or stay away from public places where exposure is likely to occur.

Rudy Golbert of the Utah Jazz basketball team publicly scoffed at the NBA’s plan to hold events in empty arenas. He mocked the league position and made a point of touching every microphone he could reach in a recent press conference. Last night, Golbert tested positive for the virus, resulting in not only the cancellation of that evening’s game, but the NBA deciding to suspend the entire season for the whole league.

We don’t know yet how this will all play out, but the truth will likely be somewhere in between panic and blatant disregard for the advice of experts.

We can’t put our heads in the sand and hope this all blows over quickly. It’s time to come up with a reasonable plan to deal with a situation that is not going to go away any time soon. When the rubber meets the road, that’s what your customers are counting on.

Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise – even in a crisis situation.


Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.

Marketing Above the Noise.

Download a FREE chapter now.

What are people saying?

Buy now.

 


Let us help your business rise to the top.

linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com

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Top of Mind Thursday March 5, 2020: Wait a Minute–Things Will Change

Top of Mind Thursday

The interminably long US election process is finally picking up speed through the primary season.

Leverage2Market LogoLast week, there were still 7 Democractic presidential contenders. As of this morning, it’s down to a two-man race (and yes, they are both white men).

As of last week, the official position was that the COVID-19 situation was well under control in the US. This week, new infections are appearing in more and more states, many companies are encouraging employees to work at home, and health officials are discouraging large public gatherings in a number of locations.

How do things change so quickly? We live in a world that is more connected than ever before. Both information and illness spread at a rapidly increasing rate. New inputs force key players to reevaluate situations and change course appropriately.

As a result, we live in an environment of ambiguity and uncertainty. To keep up, we need to be on alert for new information and adjust plans accordingly–whether it’s business operations or personal lifestyle.

There’s no need to panic, but there’s also no room for complacency either.

Don’t like this situation? Wait a minute. It will change.

Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise.


Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.

Marketing Above the Noise.

Download a FREE chapter now.

What are people saying?

Buy now.

 


Let us help your business rise to the top.

linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com

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Top of Mind Thursday February 27,2020: Blue By You

Top of Mind Thursday

 

 

 

 

The escalating coronavirus situation is impacting everything from the stock market to supply chains.

Leverage2Market LogoBut probably the most immediate impact being felt is in the travel industry. Hundreds of flights to Asia were canceled quickly. Now the virus has appeared in Europe, the Middle East and North America. There’s even talk of canceling the summer Olympics in Tokyo this July.

Many people are wondering if they should book spring and summer travel, given the penalties for changing or canceling flights. This impacts not only airlines, but hotels, car and tour companies, restaurants, and local businesses in travel-heavy locations.

Yesterday, Jet Blue sent an email notifying customers they are waiving all change and cancellation fees for travel completed by June 1st. It’s a small gesture and a position that likely all airlines will need to adopt. But JetBlue gets kudos for jumping in ahead of the fray and taking the lead here.

What actions can you take to support your customers in this or other crisis situations?

Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise.


Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.

Marketing Above the Noise.

Download a FREE chapter now.

What are people saying?

Buy now.

 


Let us help your business rise to the top.

linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com

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